From the moment he entered the interview room to meet the District #18 Board of Education, one got a sense that Michael Brockhaus would get the job.
The school board didn’t know that at the time, but when the interview was over Friday morning, just before noon, board members could be heard saying “that was a good interview!”
Brockhaus told The Elgin Review Monday afternoon he’s anxious to get started in this, his first time leading a school district. “It just seemed like a good place to be,” said the 51-year-old.
The new superintendent is no stranger to Northeast Nebraska. His mother and step father live at Albion. Before making a home in Sidney, he taught at Humphrey St. Francis and West Point Central Catholic schools.
Before the interview began, Brockhaus and his wife Jennifer, who grew up at Coleridge, were given a tour of the school and community by EPS Principal Greg Wemhoff. During his interview, she was busy, in the school library, carrying out her duties as chief information officer at at Sidney Regional Medical Center.
“It (Elgin) reminded me a lot of Humphrey St. Francis,” Brockhaus said. “It just seems like a good place to be.”
Brockhaus grew up around Madison. His first teaching job was at Humphrey St. Francis, then it was on to West Point Central Catholic before moving to Sidney 14 years ago.
The opportunity to come to Elgin intrigued him. He said at the interview that the position of superintendent offers him the professional growth he has been looking for. Among the things he noticed about the school was it’s high test scores, low tax levy and district valuation.
“It fits everything we were looking for,” Brockhaus said.
In addition to the school, Brockhaus said he was particularly impressed with the community, noting how Elgin had two veterinary clinics and an attorney’s office. Very active in the Sidney business community, he said he looks forward to being active in Elgin activities. The family hopes to find a home in Elgin, preferring to live where he works. The Brockhaus family consists of two daughters. Charlie is a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Another daughter, Dani, will graduate from Sidney High School in May and, this fall, enroll at Peru State College. Mrs. Brockhaus currently works as the chief information officer for the Sidney Regional Medical Center.